I like Sallis but he wasn’t even the best player on his HS team this year. And the guy who was better than him ended up at Loyola and which blows my mind
Hunter Reaffirms Commitment
- Thread starter Cyched
- Start date
They say that’s what he projects as but doesn’t mean it’s next year. Also, Givony from ESPN is considered the best in the business.
Once again, so glad Tyrese has made the re-committment to ISU. We are going to love seeing this kid play and the force that he will bring in making a strong cultural change. He will be one of the leaders, even as a freshman, IMO.Another great read from Matthew Bain of DMRegister about Tyrese Hunter. It's well worth your time. I don't want to see "TLDR" kind of responses.
Inside Iowa State's relentless 3-week pursuit of Tyrese Hunter
To understand why Tyrese Hunter took a full three weeks to decide if he wanted to stick with Iowa State after the university fired Steve Prohm, the head coach he committed to, even though many peers in similar situations right now are quickly decommitting or entering the transfer portal, you need to know something about Hunter.
It's why he's "wise beyond his years," as his high school coach, Nick Bennett, says.
Hunter had lost both of his parents by the time he was 13. His father, Brian, died from a heart attack when Hunter was 6. His mother, Ida, died of kidney failure seven years later.
That forced Hunter to grow up fast.
"This is a kid who’s had to gain wisdom most people don’t have to," Bennett told the Des Moines Register on Saturday. "He is going to make decisions differently. He is going to look at things a little differently."
Translation: He's not going to rush. He's going to take his time.
That's exactly what he did with his college decision. Hunter took three weeks to get to know new Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger and his staff. He was methodical. He spent hours talking with the coaches, giving them an opportunity to show how he fit into their plans.
"Tyrese is not a knee-jerk-reaction type of kid," said Bennett, who has coached Hunter to a 53-1 record these past two years at St. Catherine's in Milwaukee. "He didn’t want to just do the, 'Oh, new coach? I’m out.' He didn’t want to just tweet something, 'I’m out of here.' He just said, 'Hey, I want to make sure I’m making the right decision. I want to hear what I need to hear. I want to gather information. I want to rest on it.'"
Hunter reaffirmed his commitment to Iowa State on Saturday. In the end, he told the Register it came down to his relationship with the new staff, the role they see for him in Ames and the way they made him feel like a priority.
How Hunter connected with the staff
Hunter said he was basically on FaceTime with an Iowa State coach "all day, every day."
"From the beginning, through the season when they were doing pretty bad, it was always a thought of, 'It could happen,'" Hunter said of Prohm getting fired. "But this was my first time through the process; I’ve never been through nothing like this. So, when it actually did happen, I just had to sit down and think: 'Was I going to open it up right away? Could I bet let out of my letter (of intent)?' Or anything like that. I just had to sit down and talk to my peers, coach Bennett and my brother.
"They hired T.J., and I was like, 'OK, I’m going to see where his head is at, if his head is on straight.' Because he recruited me back at UNLV. So I just wanted to see about that. And, man, we just built a pretty good relationship throughout the past couple weeks."
Daniyal Robinson and James Kane were Hunter's main recruiters on Prohm's staff, and he built strong bonds with both. When Otzelberger kept Robinson on staff, and when Robinson told Hunter how much he trusted Otzelberger, Hunter said that helped make Iowa State more appealing.
Bennett said a handful of schools reached out to him to check in on Hunter, who they couldn't talk to because he was still signed with Iowa State. But Hunter was focused on giving Iowa State a fair shake. After every talk with Otzelberger, Bennett said, Hunter just kept getting more and more comfortable.
"Ultimately, he said to me last week, 'Coach, this is just too good an opportunity to say no to. They’re offering everything I want,'" Bennett said. "Tyrese, for as flashy a player as he is, he’s a pretty simple kid behind the scenes. He’s not a diva. He just really wanted to feel a strong connection with the staff, and they definitely did that."
Hunter also emphasized how much Otzelberger and his staff made him feel like a priority. For a kid who just had his original head coach ripped away, that was important. He said he felt like Iowa State's "No. 1 focus."
"They really did make him feel special. They really did," Bennett said. "Coach Otzelberger really took the lead on this. He’s been heavily involved in it. I know how busy you are in the first month or two of a new job, and he certainly made Tyrese a priority through it all."
How Otzelberger sold Hunter on his vision
This part came down to some diligent film breakdown from Iowa State's coaches.
During the Zoom visits, Hunter said Otzelberger not only would review Hunter's film in detail with him, he would also review current Iowa State players' film, as well as film of other players the Cyclones are recruiting, to show exactly how Hunter would fit in as the floor general leading the show.
It was painstakingly detailed, and Hunter appreciated it.
"It stood out. Just knowing that they’re taking their time with me and just fitting the pieces around me, too, and around the program to help everybody out," Hunter said. "Knowing their style of play and how they’re going to get up and down the court. And then just my future teammates – who I’m going to be playing with, who they’re going to surround me with."
So, how does Otzelberger see Hunter fitting into his plan for the future?
"Just that dog. That gritty point guard that helps everybody out, gets everybody involved," Hunter said. "Getting that started. I feel like they need that push, that energy guy, and I could be one of them and get everybody going out there.
"I’m just ready to get the magic back in Hilton (Coliseum). There are people that say it’s gone and stuff like that, but I really see the potential throughout the whole program and the team itself. So I’m just really ready to get out there and just show everyone."
Tyrese, if you're listening, can't wait to see you play and for you to be a part of this team, and the change that is happening in Ames!
Yes very nice. If we have to do an alt uni, like gray, I like this with the C/G!!
Must...fight...to...prevent...a...uniform...thread....from...breaking...out...in...the...Hunter...recommitment...thread....
We should temper our initial expectations for Hunter, IMO. He will only be a freshman and is still undersized (6-1, 160lbs.). Hopefully he will make up for it with his inherent skill and quickness.ESPN released their final 2021 rankings - Tyrese at #37
ESPN Basketball Recruiting - Player Rankings
Where do the nation basketball recruits rank? Check out the player rankings on RecruitingNation.comwww.espn.com
I think he will average about 24-30 MPG the last half of season (a lot for a freshman), maybe a bit more if he can prove to be an effective scorer. But still, even though highly ranked, and a lot will be asked of him, he will be young and inexperienced in the middle of the Big 12. He will need time to develope.
The best thing he can do initially will be to lead the offense as maybe our main PG, keep his turnovers down, and really work on his assists. Hopefully we will have some players he can dish to that will know how to score. If his defense is strong, that will be a plus.
With no other options at PG, and a top 40 recruit, I disagree. Its trial by fire, he may struggle some games and take his lumps, just like the whole team.
Like haliburton and Monte of past, the talent is there as a freshman. But unlike those two, we don't have many other options this year, he's going to play a lot.
Wiggington type stat line is possible.
No doubt he will play a lot. As much as possible though I think TJ will groom him and pull him for 'teaching moments', likely put him right back in soon thereafter. Early Coach will use Grill and Walker in spot minutes, Jackson, see how that goes, depending upon competition level, team we are playing. By mid-season, Hunter may be seeing 30-35 MPG. Our PG options are limited.
I am kind of nervous about the PG position next year. I wish we had some kind of legit back-up. It is so hard to be a freshman PG and there is always the potential he gets dinged up. Nothing is worse then a team without a serviceable point guard. It just makes everything look worse.
Well it's not too late to get another PG for this year, if the right guy turns up and wants to come, ideally a 1 year player. I'm still favoring this in order to not overburden Hunter, have a more viable second PG option.
Unless of course we can get another wing guy like Fletcher. Then you do that no question, and hope the best for PG/ PG depth for this year.
Walker was recruited as a PG, and I wish prohm would have utilized him more there, but I think we could see him take a step up as another ball handler
It's become cliche to say, but a DeAndre Kane type guy would be best. Someone that can take pressure off Hunter, but also gives flexibility to play alongside him and Gabe.
Yes. Wiggington played about 33 MPG as a freshman, 16.7 PPG, but really struggled with turnovers, about 3 per game (and 2.8 APG), as a shooting guard I think.
Hopefully as a PG Hunter will be on the positive side of the assist/turnover ratio. That will be key.
I want his freshman year to be Like Will Blalock. Where we all went whoa, this kid is going to be good once he forgives it out, then he started figuring it out about midway through the season. His game is kind of Blalock esk in my opinion
There's a blast from the past. Really, really good player. I think Tyrese Hunter can be the second best PG we've ever had (would be hard to take the crown from Monte)
